The Hunger Games: Magic at its Finest
by the-hunger-jaws
Summary: Harry, Ron, and Hermoine live in District 7, the lumber district, and are at the Reaping of the 76th Annual Hunger Games, when their is a twist on who's going to the Hunger Games. Two of the three go into the games and have to survive in order for one to make it out safely and get home. But there's always a twist in the end.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or main plots of this story. Except for the parts that I do make up myself.**

Harry's POV

"Wake up Dudley! Get up you lump!" I yelled as I tried hard and long to wake up my big slob of my cousin, Dudley. Today was reaping, and in District 7 we chopped up wood for the Capitol so they could make their magical wands. I have one myself because I kept some wood from the lumberyard one day and made a wand for me. I've also seen it on the Hunger Games; they give it at the Cornucopia, but deep inside. But even so, it proved to be one of the most wanted weapons. You cast spells with it, and I guess it's a really useful weapon. Good for defense, offense, and survival.

Anyways, as usual, Dudley finally woke up and we got dressed in our reaping clothes. I've worn the same reaping clothes as I have for the past 2 years. I didn't mind though, except next year I would need new pants because I've almost outgrown mine.

Once Dudley was dressed in his newest outfit my aunt picked out for him, she was calling him to show her, as always.

"Dudley! Oh Dudley! Let me see you in your new outfit!"

"Here mummy! How do I look?" and as he asked my aunt for her opinion, he spun around like a ballerina in front of her to show off his new clothes.

"So very stunning! Ah! All the girls will be looking and talking about you today, after the reaping!"

I've lived with my aunt and uncle because when I was a baby, father had passed away because he had gotten an axe in his back, you know what happens from there. While my mother had died when I was eleven. She actually kind of killed herself, she was depressed about my father's death, she never ate, only gave me her food. We became poor, and soon enough she slipped out of my reach and nobody or an anything could get into her brain. And once she had passed away, I was sent to my aunt and uncle's house with their son, Dudley, who was my age, 16.

We've always hated each other, and his parents have hated me as well. This was because they thought I was special, and that my mother had brought me up wrong. But this was only because she allowed me to play with wands. And I had a book of spells. So sometimes when my "family" got on my nerves, I always had my wand with me to point at them. It was my way of saying, leave me alone and there won't be any problems.

"Harry! You ready yet? We're leaving and if you aren't with us, we'll let the peacekeepers take care of you!" as my uncle said every year because he hoped I was never ready.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming. Just give me some time to walk."

"Just hurry up you ungrateful little brat."

Now I stormed out the door and happened to catch up to Dudley. No words were exchanged between us as we walked to the square. When he saw his friends, he ran full speed ahead, towards them. He checked in I guess because when I finally walked over to the check in point, there was no sign of him or his friends.

After I had given my blood, I went to my section and met my friend Ron Weasley. We talked a bit and looked for my other friend, Hermione Granger. We exchanged reassuring glances of you won't get picked, and went on with our other conversations.

"Can you believe it? We're almost done having to come to these stupid things and waiting for the ceremony to be over!" as Ron had always dreamed, not having the Hunger Games. But that was only a dream, never going to be a reality again.

"Well Ron, even so, there's no guarantee that we'll even be that old to experience not coming here, and working out it in the woods, cutting down trees!"

"Harry, why are you such a downer? Yes I have entered for a bunch of tesserae and my name is in there like a hundred slips in there with the name 'Ronald Weasley' in there. And still, there are hundreds of other slips in there with other people's names. Now just think differently for once!"

"The thing is Ron, the odds aren't exactly in our favor, as the Capitol people would say. We both have the same amount of slips in there! All we can do is hope. And I hope I get picked. I hate this life. My aunt and uncle are horrible for me and Dudley has made my life hell."

Soon enough, Ron and I settled down and waited for a while. As soon as everyone had taken their place, it became silent as our district's escort, Maxwell, got out of his seat and made his way to the podium. He was something to look at. Not that he was attractive, but the capitol people have outrageous 'fashion sense'. Maxwell had a bright yellow mullet wig on with a vibrant green shirt and a deep brown colored pair of pants, which made him look like a tree in the middle of the day with the sun right in the middle of the sky. He was a lean and tall guy, about 6'3". And to complete his outfit scene, he had on white eyeliner with a hint of light blue, like the sky on a clear day. I'm guessing the white was to represent clouds. But what baffled me was that he had on a dark purple shade of lipstick with a glittery shimmer coat. After my quick assessment of his dress for the day, he began the ceremony. Starting with the Dark Days movie clip that we watch to remind us of the Dark Days and not to rebel against the Capitol again because they can destroy us all. And the mayor does his bit as well. I always forget in what order they go in because I never pay any attention any more. But, finally, to end everything, Maxwell goes up stage and says his welcome message, and the trademark, "May the odds be ever in your favor." Soon enough he marched over to the lady's glass, see-through ball containing the names of all the girls in the district that are eligible to be entered into the Hunger Games as tributes. He stuck his arm in the opening at the top and ruffled around in the papers with his hand for a bit and grabbed one. He took it back to the stage and opened it up. He opened his mouth to speak, and had everyone on edge chewing on their fingernails as they hoped their name wasn't going to be read out, and have to meet their doom.

"And the girl tribute for District 7 is..."

The end of Chapter 1, review please? Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

"And the girl tribute who will be representing District 7 in the 76th Annual Hunger Games is, Ginny Weasley."

Maxwell stood searching the crowd for movement, there was none. He called out again, "Ginny Weasley." There still was no movement.

I looked at Ron in disbelief and he looked right back at me.

Suddenly, there was murmuring among the girls. I saw Ginny walking slowly towards the pathway to the stage. I wanted to run out and hug her, telling her that it was going to be okay, and it was all just a big mistake. But this was no mistake, she had been chosen. Ginny was a year younger than I, but I had a thing for her.

I looked back at Ron, after what seemed hours of just staring at Ginny make her way down the aisle to her death. Ron looked torn. He knew that he could do nothing to save Ginny. That didn't stop him from trying though. Moments after I looked at him, I saw him shove his way through the crowd of boys and into the aisle. I will never understand why he would do such a thing, but he really did love his sister I should say.

Ron was standing in the middle of the aisle, between the girls and boys, surrounded by the crowd of families and friends who are either too old or too young to be entered, and the capitol people. He stood straight up and said, "I volunteer as tribute."

There were a few moments of silence as everyone tried to take in and understand what had just happened. A boy had volunteered for a girl tribute. Everyone stared at Ron in awe. I didn't know what to do besides run after him and tell him that he couldn't. He was thinking irrationally. There is no possible way that he can volunteer for Ginny. I hugged him as hard as I was able to. I was so absorbed in trying to comfort and console my best friend that I didn't see Hermione walk slowly out into the aisle in front of us.

Before I could understand what she was doing, she had said loud and clear, "_I_ volunteer as tribute."

I was shocked. My mind was racing trying to comprehend what was happening and what had happened. My best friend's sister, the girl I have a crush on was picked at tribute, then her brother volunteered as tribute, now my other best friend was volunteering. I wasn't sad, I was angry. I didn't show my feelings because I knew that the reaping was being recorded, but I could feel the anger boiling up inside of me and was about ready to burst.

I yelled out, "Hermione! Wait! What are you doing? Hermione!"

No matter how loud I yelled, she never looked back at me until she reached the stage and had to turn to the crowd.

I was mortified. I had known her since we were young kids. We went to school together, and we did almost everything together. I didn't want to, and couldn't possibly loose her.

Soon after taking in what had occurred, I was still hugging Ron and we walked back to our place together.

Maxwell was a bit flustered by what had just happened, but went on with the reaping. He then asked what Hermione's name was, and announced her as our girl tribute. Next he walked over to the bowl filled with the names of all the boys eligible to be a tribute.

After what had happened with Ginny and Hermione, I had no doubt that Ron and I weren't going to get picked. Everything was just happening too fast.

Maxwell picked out a slip, and that's when time had stopped. He had taken the slip, slowly back to the podium and opened it. He read the name to himself and looked out into the crowd, announcing, "And the boy tribute who will be representing District 7 in the 76th Annual Hunger Games is, Harry Potter.

I felt as though I didn't hear my name, it was a mistake, everything was wrong. None of this was happening, and it was all just a nightmare that I was going to wake up from any second. I waited and waited, but nothing happened, I didn't wake up. I was still standing still in disbelief and shock. My anger turned into worry and I looked straight at Ron with the look of horror on my face.

Maxwell repeated my name two times before Ron had grabbed my arm and walked me over to the aisle because I wouldn't move. I could see that Ron was heart broken and couldn't decide what to do. He knew that Hermione and I were childhood friends, but was it worth his life to save mine?

I slowly made my way to the stage, and as I was about to walk up the few steps, I heard someone from behind those four infamous words. "I volunteer as tribute."

I stopped moving, and glanced behind me, to see no one other than Dudley.

I didn't know what was happening, after seeing Dudley; for sure I thought everything to be a nightmare. But there was something off about Dudley. His voice sounded odd, almost as though it wasn't at all his voice.

I rubbed my eyes and saw that it was actually Ron who had volunteered. I'm not sure why I saw Dudley, maybe because I wanted him dead, but that wasn't the reality.

I looked up at Hermione, and she looked just as much in disbelief and horror as I was in. I couldn't help but to go and hug Ron. Then I ran up the steps to hug Hermione. I was reluctant to go back to my place because I wanted to get picked, but I didn't want to fight Hermione or see her die.

As I was about to yell out in rebuttal to Ron's volunteering of being tribute, Ron saw me first and motioned for me to not. Even with his signaling, I decided that he had a better life than I, and I could try and protect Hermione, then sacrifice myself.

I turned to face Maxwell and said, "And I volunteer to be tribute, once again."

Maxwell looked confused, for this had never happened to him I suppose. The mayor got up out of his seat and told me to go back to my place in the crowd.

"Mr. Potter, you should be proud and happy that you have such wonderful friends to volunteer for you, and take your place in the Hunger Games. Take the opportunity and go back to your place. That is an order and I will have you arrested if you don't wish to follow it."

I refused to follow the order and repeated numerous times, "I volunteer as tribute, I volunteer as tribute, I volunteer as tribute."

Everyone just stared at me in horror, and I could hear the shrieks of my aunt and uncle. They screamed out, "We knew you were a special case! Take him, take him away, he's a disgrace and a mess. He has issues, take him away please!"

Soon I saw out of the corners of my eyes two peacekeepers coming for me. I decided to let them have me, and I went away willingly.

I was taken to a room where I was to watch the rest of the reaping peacefully. They allowed me to go and see my friends after the ceremony was over and it was the time where they allowed family and friends to see the tributes before they left.

This was where we said our goodbyes and everything we never told them normally. I ended up crying as the peacekeepers had to pull me away from Ron and Hermione.

They were the two who were so sure that they weren't going to get picked, they were the optimistic ones, and I was the pessimist, but I wasn't chosen. The odds were not in any of our favors that day.


End file.
